Frank's Movie Log

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Chinese villagers engineer the escape of an American ship captain (John Wayne) from a Communist prison in the hopes that he will help them flee to Hong Kong.

Despite its heavy right-wing slant, Blood Alley is an enjoyable John Wayne adventure vehicle with an interesting history. Produced by Wayne’s Batjac Productions, filming began with Robert Mitchum as the lead, but after shoving a crewmember into the San Francisco Bay, Mitchum was fired and went on to make Man with the Gun (1955), instead. The role was then offered to Gregory Peck, who turned it down, and then Humphrey Bogart, who wanted too much money. With Warner Bros threatening to pull their distribution deal unless a major star could be found, Wayne himself stepped into the role.

The kicker is that Wayne seems perfect for the part. Granted, Bogart would have done a good job too, but Mitchum and Peck, the first two choices, would have been off. Wayne handles the mix of comedy, action, and adventure with ease, finding the perfect tone early on and holding it throughout the film.

Opposite him, Lauren Bacall is great as his romantic interest, joining the small group of women capable of holding their own opposite Wayne’s considerable presence on screen. Though they would reunite 21 years later for Wayne’s final film, The Shootist (1976), watching them here makes you wish they’d made a few more films in between.

The rest of the cast is passable, with Paul Fix working surprisingly well as a Chinese Elder, and Mike Mazurki as the village strongman.

While the result is certainly not one of Wayne’s classics, Blood Alley is consistently entertaining thanks to the solid production and Wayne’s ample charisma.